1000000031

METAPHYS

e s.

175

requirote perCpicuity .nd precíroen, that we may no.t diC–

pUle

about words whcn

'lIJe

codcavour

extcnd the fphere

6f eur knewledge, 6' when we

deb.te

cenccrning the cf.

fcnce of an objcll. . or

cndctlyollr tO

nukc

more cvident.

l t i. f6r thi. re.fen ,hat 6ntol6gy was fer",« ly r<garded

barren (cien.:!!,

thal

confined

(tehnicAt

lerms

only ;

:1.1

a mere tcrminology: whcrcas the·betl modero philo–

fophcn mak!!

a more

fut,(hntial

(eience,

anncxlng

dctcr(J'linate ideas

thoCe words, and lhe cxam¡n:uion of

tho.Ce

6bjeét. ,hemCelve, ,h

,heCe termo imply. Hut the

misfortunc ¡s, la (peak lbe truth. Ihat in this ontologic

dcttrmi""tion there is

mil

muen unccrr,tinty and Caph i–

IIry. fur. in ,he Cldl place. we yet kno.w 6f no. meta–

phyroe. where .11 ,he defin ilio.n. are juCl; and in the Ce–

co.nd

· place, the w6rd, that are empl6yed in theCe defini–

tion, have

alw~ys

fOlnclhing equivocal in tbci r mcaning,

and have e6nCequently themCelves nccd 6f definido.n,; and

,hi,

manner wc may recede to infinity. unlefs we recur

te the firn impr<flio.n. t"at the romple IV6rd. h. ve made

OUT

minds, aDd the primitive ideas which they there

excite.

The words

man, ¡ove, coach,

&e. f...y more,

and make

Oronger impreffion, than

.11

the definitions

\"c

can give 6f ,hem; by

6nt616gi~

explicati6n. they are al–

mo.Cl

alw.y. eovered \Vi,h •

d.rk

e16ud.

Metaphyfics, aftet' having. iD as Celid • manner a.

poffi~le,

expbintd .nd ell.blilhed the principies

.bo.ve

mentioned. · continues iu ¡nquiries to (be fecond pan, tbat

ealled

Co{m%g},

and cxamines int6 the errenee 6f ,he

world••

all lhat ir contains;

itl

tternal laws; of the

naturc of matter: of motion; of rhe oature o( tangible

bodieo, 6f their attributes aod err"ntial qualiti..; and 6f

.11 that can be kn6WO by.bllraéti6n, and f6metim.. alC6

by adding the lighu ,hat m.n .equir<. co.occrning ,hem

by thc expcrieocc o.f hi. feoC.. .

i. alC6 in c6Cm610-

gy th" we ex.mine the Leibni,ziao fyClem; th.. i.,

whether God, in er<.tÍng the w6r1d, mull necerr..ily

have trea..d the beCl w6r1d; .nd if thi. ,"o.rla be

e!Te(t. And in thi. manner tbey purCue tbe "gument

(ro.m e6nfequence t6 c6nCequenee t6 it'- laCl refort. AII

philnfo.phcII, h6wever, do. oet go. equally deep. Eacb

mind has iu d6Ce 6f pene.tratio.n . Due eare !h6uld be

likewiCe taken, that fubtility, in ,hi. ehain 6f rcaf6ni ng,

..rried beyond ,he gcoeral bo..nd. 6f the hum.n mind, do

oo.t prejudiee cither the perCpieuity 6r ,he tru,h 6f idea. :

f«ing thu C"rror here tOO nearly approaches (he truth ;

.nd ,hat every idea, whieh canno., bc rendered iotemgi.

ble, i. in e!Teét equal 'o a f.lfe idea.

3. Anlhroph,¡.y,

6r ,he kno.wledge of m.n, formo

the !hird branch 6f metaphyfi<.

i, Cubdivid<d iD'o.

two. p.m. The 6,11. whieh eo.nfills in ,he kno.wledge o.f

(he cxtcrior parts of the hum ...n fnmc. ducs not bdong

,hit fcienee: anat6my and phvroo.lngy "leh that. The

bufioers here js ooly a

mecaphyli~al

cX"

'OliD.ui

of man,

his cl.inence, his ctrente, his clf.:

oli.al

quallfin and DC–

cdrary attnbutes. all conlidt:red

a priori:

and thls exa–

meo le.!ds

the rame lime to

~ .

Pfich.¡

which i. ,he fo.urth pa" o.f mcr. phyrocs,

.nd eo.oron. ,n the kn6.'ledge o.f the foul in general, aod

or ,he (out of man in puticular; concerniDg whicb . che

mo.Cl

pr6found. ,he

mo.lI

Coh le anJ .bClnét rdearehes

hue becD IlUde, tbat mc.humm ".reD i. e.pable

P'6-

ducing : and e6neerning the Cubllanee ef \dlÍch, in Cpite

6f .11 theCe c!Tum, it i.

yet

extremely diílicult ' o .rrert

any th:n;: thll is ratio,al. and

Ibll

lefs any thing th.t i.

po.rotive .nd well fuppo.rted.

The 6fth pan 6f metaphyfic. is ealled

Pneumalo–

log,.

is not a very long time (jnee lhis tcrm has beea

¡nvenced, and thac O1ctaphyricians havc made of

di·

ninét doétrine. By ,hi. ,hey nlcan the kno.wledge 6f all

(pirits,. an&els,

Oc.

is cafy tO conceive thal infi nite 3rt is

necclf'ary

g¡ve 3D account of

~what

we do

0 0 1

abfol~tc

Iy kn6w any ,hing••nd 6f whieh, by tlle oature of the

fuhjeét itCelf, we never can know any ,hing. But the

metaphylician prefently offers tO fhow us,

what is the

idea 6f • Cpirit; the effeéti.e exiClence 6f a Cpirit ; what

are ilS general quallties .and.properties: that tbere are ra–

t¡onal fpiriu, and that theCe rational fpirits have quall.

ti.. ,hat are f6unded in the moral q ualities 6f Go." :" f6C

,his

¡s,

in fo many words, what

tauglll

by pneuma–

t616gy or pneuma'Í<s.

Melaph,jicalTheology,

\Vhieh M . L eibnitz and C6me.

6thers eall

T hcodicy,

is the fixth and laCl d6étrine 61 me–

taphyfic..

te.ches u. the knowledge 6f ,he exillence

of Go.d; t6 make the m6Cl ntlonal fupp6fiti6n. eoncero–

¡nc his

diyin~drence.

and to farOl a juU idea of his qua–

li,ies .nd perfeéti6ns, and ,o. dem6nll,."e ,hem by abClr.a

reaf6ning

priori.

Theodicy d,tfers fr6m na,ural

the616gy, in as mueh as thi, la(1 botrow" in faét, from

tbeo.dtey, pr6ef. and demo.n(l, ati6n, te eonfirm ,he exi–

lIence 6f a Supreme Being; but after having Colidly e(la–

bli!hed that gre" trulh, by exteoding ir. c60Coquenees,

natural tbeology teaches us wbat are the rela(ions ami

eonoexi6n. ,h.. fqbroll betw..n that Supreme Beiog "nd–

maD, and wbat are the moral dutie! lhat reCule from chat

e6nnexio.n. A. pneumato.I6gy i, a Ccíence highly infidi-

6U' and ebimerital,

i. metaphyrocal theológy fuCeepti–

ble 6f Cound argument and dem6nCl..,io.o; t6 the gre.t

(6R1f6rt 6f mankiod, the

who.le

6f whoCe happineC. is

f6unded on the eertaio,y 6f ,hi. fcience.

the e!Tea.

and operations of Cpirits io the univerfe were as evideDt.

as the elfeél. and 6perati6n. o.f the D eity, . nd their oe–

cerr..y exiCleoee as e.pable 6f being pro..d

a priori,

p"oeumat616gy wo.uld be a doétrine 6f cqual eert.inty wi,h

theodley: but as Dehher one Dor lhe olher can be pro ..

ved, with regard t6 Cpi';.. iD gener.I, whilll G 6d mani–

fell. himCelf

every part 6f natUre, we have 6nly to de–

Ceend fr6m ,he mo.l! Gmple and abClraét. idea., t6 thore

that are the moO: eOnlpound

aDdJrom chen'ce to rr .. fceod,

by a

cha.io

of reafoomgs. (rom ,be cre:.ature:. up tO tbc'Au·

,h6r o.f ,he ereature and of .11 bature:

\lle

!hall 6nd, tha<

the "fuh of all thefe 6perati6ns 6f ,he mind will

e6nn.Ot–

Iy be, T he neeeffity of tb. e"illence of a God; and we

may at all times determine, th6o&b very imperfeétly,

(rom tbe weaknefs oPour difcernmeol . what that Supreme

B eing muCl be, by p6filively detcrmio.ing wh.. he c.nno.t

be..

Eve.ry

thing lhat can concur

furnifh new proofs

60 thi. Cubjeét, 6r to e1ucid." lnd ellabli!h th6Ce whicb

are already

knoWD~

js the:.refore of incOimablc vl lac tO

mankind: and ,b6U&h tbi, were lhe 6nly 6bjeét 6f met.–

phyGe•• it w6uld highly merir the attentiOD 6f !h6fe 6f

me mo.n refined and moCl ex.hed geniu•.

ArTH

s iving mis general view 6f!he fubjea, we !hall

proce d